Land the right airfare and you don’t have to leave the kids behind, even if the trip is to London. Packing the kids up for a trip to the mall can be challenging enough, so just how do you get you and your family through the airport and keep hold of your sanity? It can be done, especially when the airport co-operates. Case-in-point: London Heathrow. Airports Council International says it was the fourth-busiest airport on the planet in 2010 in terms of passenger traffic. Of the 65,884,143 passengers LHR handled last year, more than a few were children.
Heathrow is laying on a full-court press this summer to get you and your family through the airport with a little hassle as possible. Heathrow can help by:
- Moving you through security more empathetically. LHR just opened a series of family lanes designed to get you, and them, through security. Heathrow has designated special staff for precisely that purpose.
- Letting the wee ones wind down. It takes about six hours to fly from the East Coast of the United States to London, perhaps an hour-and-a-half going back the other way. In-flight entertainment notwithstanding, children would prefer not to be cooped up the cabin of an airliner for that long. Just too much restless energy. The solution is to siphon off that energy before they board, get them good and sleepy. Look for play areas in Terminal 1 opposite Chocolate Box, in Terminal 3 by Gates 23 through 55; in Terminal 4 towards Gates 1 through 6, by Burberry; and in Terminal 5 next to gate 7.
- Lowering the cost of feeding their faces. For each main meal bought by an accompanying adult one child gets one meal free – maxing out at four free kids’ meals (this would have presented a bit of a problem when this Cheapflights reporter and his family flew. Kathy and I have five kids). The free food deal’s good in Terminal 1 at Est Caffe (after security), and at Café Rouge (before security). In Terminal 2 the offer stands at The Three Bells (before security). Headed out of Terminal 4? Kids eat free at the Dining Street Restaurant & Bar (after security). In Terminal 5 make tracks or Huxleys (after security). These meal deals are good through Aug. 14.
- Lightening your load. Lugging around a weighty shoulder bag loaded with diapers, wipies, books and snacks can be a pain. Then there’s the problem of moving liquids through security. Heathrow can help here too. Pre-order infant milk, diapers (be sure to say ‘nappies’), and baby wipes by e-mailing genres_collect@baa.com. Detail the brand and size of the product, how many you want; where you’re flying, the departure date and scheduled time of departure, and from which terminal you’re leaving. If you need special orders best bet is to e-mail them ten days in advance.
Here’s this reporter’s sure-fire cure-all. Go to Hambys toy store at Heathrow. You’ll find it post-security in Terminal 1. Purchase a small toy plane, put your child in the window seat and watch them mimic the movements of the real aircrafts as it flies. It just might prove a better diversion than the seat-back video. And it’s far better for the imagination.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Gary Bembridge)
